


Truth within Lies

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Avenger Reader (Marvel), Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Hamilton References, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Magic, Mind Manipulation, My First AO3 Post, My First Work in This Fandom, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Loki (Marvel), Psychic Abilities, Reader is a mutant, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Truth or Dare, reader loves music
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:02:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25233580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After going through hell or high water to survive, a series of wrong place, wrong time scenarios takes place in a local club she took a job at. That opportunity may or may not have doomed to her to living with the so-called 'Earth's mightiest heroes' for longer than comfortable. Even worse, it leads her down a rabbit hole with the Dark Prince himself. How will their relationship spiral? And how will it be saved from the clutches of uncertainty?( /`3`/)Edited Jul 22, 2020
Relationships: Loki (Marvel) & Reader, Loki (Marvel)/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	1. Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Stereo

Song after crude song played in the large, dimly lit building as sweaty bodies bumped and grinded against each other. The whole building consisted of either the drunk, the high, or the sober drivers. Non of which I chose to be a part of. Most of the job consisted of directing the music and overall atmosphere of the club using some experimental equipment that could possibly stun everyone in the room. But that’s why it was important no one knew.

The music and dancing and overall happening of the club went on hours before a large crash erupted and the music stopped. A fairly large hole was in the concrete roof and in the dead center floated a red figure, white illuminating his eyes and the boosters beneath his hands and feet. Thankfully, the rubble and debris from the hole had been obliterated into small enough peaces so that the guests weren't hurt severely. Everything went silent for a brief moment till one civilian on the floor started running and screaming, causing a chain reaction in the rest of the people.

_That's my queue._

Pickings up the mess of sound devices and wires, it all got funneled into my bag without organization or reason. Once I threw the dark, patch-covered hiking back over my shoulder I began to search my immediate surroundings for a quick exit. If I’m caught with this stuff it’s my head. Not that it was explicitly forbidden, but foriegn technology wasn’t something to be caught with at a club.

Once I spotted the easiest exit, I ran pushing through the crowd of terrified, intoxicated people to the big LED ‘EXIT’ sign. Screaming and sounds of explosions hurt to listen to, and the crunch of newly scattered gravel made me scared to slip and fall on my ass. As the door got closer and closer, the rush of adrenaline and anxiety flooded through my every blood cell. God, it was probably the most I had run in weeks. With fire in my lungs and an added forty pounds on my back, I reached my arm out, prepared to push the door open the second I reached it. But the moment never came. My hand came in contact with a large muscled chest and deep blue eyes bore into the windows to my very soul. Okay, maybe I’m being a bit over-dramatic, but this guy looks terrifying; especially when he’s towering over you.

Trailing my eyes a bit lower though, I could see something familiar. Something even worse than a jacked stranger standing over you like a bear intimidating his prey. A large white star.

**Captain America.**

By my guess, someone had done something really bad. Bad enough for SHIELD to send their best. The chance of getting out of here without having my extremely full and suspicious looking backpack investigated were getting slimmer by the second, so without thinking my best bet was to turn and find another exit. That’s if I could out run a super soldier. Taking extremely slow steps backward, I kept my eyes on his, trying to slip away as best I could before I bumped into something else behind me. This time, cold steel.

_I’m f*ucked._

With a large breath, I looked between the two and laughed nervously, side-stepping and glancing between the both of them. It looked like they had already subdued the rest of the regular partiers, and were now having a silent conversation between looks about how they were gonna handle me. “Fellas, you wouldn’t harm an innocent DJ. A chick at that, right? Right?”

After some more silence, the iron suited hero landed on the floor and the front of his helmet lifted to reveal his ‘over this’ expression. “Sorry, but uh- It’s our job. And you look to be harboring something that is definitely not DJ level tech.” Tony Stark, genius billionaire, also the man I had given up on waiting for to talk about said technology.

“Uh huh..So can you come back later or should I hold my fangirling?” A joke mostly, but it got Stark to let out a near inaudible chuckle, earning a glare from The Captain.

“Not the time.”

“What? I thought it was funny.”

He let out a sigh, America’s brows furrowing under his mask. “Just...Put her in cuffs already, I feel like we’ll have to charge her for something other than illegal substance.”

_**( /`3`/)** _

After the confiscation of my property, thorough questioning, and multiple drug tests, I had gotten to remeet Tony Stark so he could speak with me about how what was in my bag couldn’t be considered dangerous to the general public because it had yet to be classified as anything more than a stereo set.

“Well, if I had gotten that meeting opportunity then you’d know what it is.”

Tony sighed deeply, leaning back against his chair and rubbing the bridge of his nose to deal with the frustration. “Can’t you just explain now? I’ve got places to be; I’m missing dinner.” Lifting a brow, I didn’t sip a beat and instead took a fake moment to think over my choices, possibly frustrating the man more.

“Hmm...I could show you?” Letting go of his creased brows, Tony searched my face for any kind of tell that would let him know I’d put him in danger. As if I’d put down one of the greatest men the world has ever seen. “It’s not gonna kill you or anything,” I spoke nonchalantly, shrugging and brushing off his unsure gaze. “I promise I won’t kill the man I aspire to be.”

By the look on his face I could tell that he wasn’t going to go along with any of my schemes. “As tempting as that sounds, I’ll pass for now. Whatever it is, SHIELD confiscated it till we know what it does. They’ll probably figure it out soon, it never takes them long to dissect whatever is on their table.”

“So can I-”

“You’ll be under my watch for the meantime. You’re lucky I have a couple dozen guest rooms available.” As unexpected as that was, I couldn’t help but be excited. At first it came as more of a shock, making me open and close my mouth a few times in search of something to say to the proposal. Well, less of a proposal and more of a statement. Living in the Avengers tower with the group who had saved the world more times then the government. “Come on, now we’re both missing dinner.”

Shrugging, I stood; no objections. “You must eat dinner pretty late then, I’m guessing that all this hero work keeps you pretty late.” Maybe just one objection… “You mind if we stop by my place first or..? I’m not gonna run or anything, I just need some clothes that don’t smell like i spend my life partying.” A lie. I couldn’t leave my poor Vesper at my dingy apartment for _...however long I’d be away._

“I'll have an agent drop you by on the way to the Tower, just give them your address when they come to get you.” Tony sighed, possibly just trying to get back ASAP so his food wouldn’t get cold. Fine by me.

“Great.”

_**( /`3`/)** _

“Without further adieu, our guest of the week.” I was anxious, no doubt. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try to make the most of my time in the tower, especially with all the unlimited resources at hand.

“Of the week? What happened to your last guest?”

“He became a resident.” Tony’s introduction definitely wasn’t the best, in fact it kinda made me feel a bit uneasy in front of the few other Avengers that bothered to show. “Anyway, F.R.I.D.A.Y. will show you to your room, I’ll be in the lab. Don’t leave the tower and other than that I don’t really care what you do.”

Raising my brows in surprise, I nodded to him and looked at the other residents in the room. A red head, two blonds, and a brunette. I immediately recognised the large chest I bumped into before getting taken into custody, and the God of Thunder himself. The other two, not so much.

“So...Are you supposed to be staring this hard or do I have something on my face?”

The captain cracked a smile and Thor erupted into a fit of laughter. “I like this one, she’s funny.” That definitely eased the tension in the room, though it seemed the other two in the room weren’t as impressed.

“I believe a few introductions are in order,” I cleared my throat. “I’m (Y/N). I believe I’ve already met patriot pants, and Mr. Hammer has made a name for himself within my memory, so..”

“Natasha Romanov.”

“Bruce Banner.”

_They don’t sound very friendly.._

Taking a deep breath, I felt most of the pressure slide from my shoulders. That wasn’t too hard, but you could still feel their eyes boring into you. “Good enough, I guess I’m gonna go find my room.” The room felt tense even as I left towards the elevator. Hopefully they’d warm up to me in the time that I stayed.

Once I did find and call the elevator it revealed a slightly groggy looking man with a shiny metal arm. Interesting. He was silent and only walked out past me, careful not to bump into my side. I knew him from somewhere, it was just hard to recall where. Hobo-guy wore his hair grown out and choppy, the lower half of his face being covered by stubble and a five o’clock shadow. This dude clearly wasn’t the ‘dress to impress’ type, which made him feel that much more familiar.

Without noticing, I had gotten up to my floor. It looked very cozy and college dorm like. The entrance to the floor brought you to a common room with chairs and a couch, decorated very simply. From there, it branched off three different ways, three different rooms. Mine was in the middle, which meant either I was alone on the floor, or there were two others in the rooms next to me. Neighbors weren’t high on my wishlist, but it’s not like I’d ask to change my temporary residence; it was just easier this way.

The door to the left was open, leaving whoever inside vulnerable to my curious eyes. Whoever it was had everything very neat, unmoved, as if they hadn’t touched anything since arrival. Or, in reality, the door had just been left open by a cleaning lady. But that was a less fun assumption to make.

Finally, I opened the door to my own room and threw the bag of necessities onto the neatly made bed. Unzipping the front of my leather jacket, I smiled at the peacefully coiled Vesper slithering up my arm. Thankfully, she hadn’t moved enough to catch the attention of the others. Continuing her journey up and around my neck, Vesper stuck her tongue out to sniff at the new surroundings.

_So cute!_

Snakes might be an obsession, but it’s not unhealthy. Yet. My adorable little Boa Constrictor was enough for now, she was all the companionship I would ever need. Hopefully I wouldn’t get in trouble for having her here…

With a glance at my mobile phone, I recognized that it was a new day. Nearly four in the morning, I must’ve been in questioning longer than I thought. But that begs the question, what were the rest of those guys still doing awake? Shouldn’t they have some kind of bedtime? Being heroes and all that jazz must require a lot, possibly even staying up all night. Thank the gods I’m not a part of that.  
Moving Vesper off of me and onto the bed, I threw my head over and put my hair up into a high ponytail. It took less than a minute to throw off my jacket and change into sweats. Because of my quick thinking, I had thought to bring Vespers heating pad, so she wouldn’t suffer from hypothermia in the night. Once it was plugged up next to the my bed, I put the mat into a drawer and then my snake on top of it. Hopefully, if she knew what was good for her, she’d stay there until I woke up in the next five to six hours. It would be a nightmare if she was nocturnal.

“Stay, sleep. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere, so don’t go exploring.” I spoke softly, vesper sticking her head up enough out of the drawer for me to lean down and place a small, feather-light kiss on her scales; to which she stuck her tongue out, flicking it at the air. “I take it back. I’m gonna go get a water bottle.”

Leaving the reptile to her surroundings, I stepped away and out of the room, only to be interrupted in my conquest.

**“Ahem.”**

The sound made me look over to a dark haired observer, his fist balled up close to his mouth as vibrant green eyes sized me up for whatever purposes. Just when I had thought the tension in the lounge had cleared from my system it returned even worse in the form of an infamous terror on New York. The one and only God of Mischief, Loki. His redemption had been made public less than a month ago after returning from Asgard once more to make peace with Midgard. Trust wasn’t something he had with the general public, government, or SHIELD. But for some reason the Avengers trusted him, and that was a good enough reason not to be scared.

“Sorry to disturb, but I have to question as to why you were peeking into my place of residence at this time of night.” Oh, that was someone’s room, and not just anyone, Loki of all people. “It’s quite rude, even if I did leave it open by my own mistake, you allowed your gaze to wander. But you can start by introducing yourself, and why you're on my floor.”

“Uh-...(Y/N), (Y/N) (L/N). I’m staying in the tower for a little while so SHIELD can sort somethings out. I wasn’t sure if someone else lived up here, or it was just me so I looked.” My words were chosen carefully, and I punctuated each sentence with either a shrug or an aversion of my gaze. Not that I could help it, The God of Mischief was intimidating. “I’ll go back to my room, let’s try not to meet like this again.”

Almost being able to feel his awkwardness, I heard a small sigh before he called my name to stop me. “(Y/N), you said? What is it you came out for?” Loki’s words sounded terribly forced and hesitant, almost as if it wasn’t his choice to continue speaking with me.

“Mm, just some water. I’ll be fine without it.”

“Well…” He cut himself off, standing but holding his arms behind him as he walked closer in my direction. “Take this then.” From behind his back he pulled out a standard, plastic water bottle.

I looked up at him skeptically, then back to the bottle and to his face again. “Is this like a trick or something? Because, no offense, but your title already says a lot about you.” A singular brow rose as I spoke, lips pursing slightly at the thought of taking something from the Asgardian.

Loki waved his arms about, shaking his head slowly with the bottle still in hand. “No, no, no. I assure you, no tricks. This is my attempt at being..Kinder?”

“That sounded more like a question than a statement.” I almost laughed, hiding it by the mere smirk tugging at my lips. But because I didn’t want him to think I was making fun of his internal struggle, I shrugged it off and took the bottle from him. “Thank you, I appreciate it.” As his shoulders slumped back down in relief, I held a finger up, almost giggling at the slight wince I heard from him. “But I’ll have to ask how you got it, being a woman of curiosity.”

“Now, now. A magician never reveals his tricks, being a man of mystery.”

“Clever, I believe we’ll get along pretty well.”

Loki nodded, a fraction of a smile showing on his face as he bowed his head and closed his eyes. “It seems we will. Loki, God of Mischief.”

As if I didn’t know already. Holding my hand out for him to shake, he slowly took it, leaning over to place a short, chaste kiss into the back of my hand. My face felt hot for a fraction of a moment before I shook it away, replacing it with a more confident expression. “One hell of a greeting you got there, do you treat all of your guests like this.”

“If I had, I’m sure Mr. Barnes would’ve found another place to rest his head.” Loki chuckled softly, releasing my hand and standing tall once more. He wasn’t bad looking, and his charm was no doubt present; but I wasn’t here for romance. Staying on task was the objective.

“Well then, I should go, it’s late.”

“Farewell Miss (L/N), sleep sound.”

“You too, Loki.” Not long after I was resting soundly on the expensive, king size mattress, dreaming of the members and the tower I was now a part of. Everything would change the moment Tony returned to the tower the next morning with news from SHIELD.


	2. Tests with Incomplete Answers

Sun Shone brightly through the large windows and directly into my unprotected eyes, not the best way to wake up. But when I thought I’d evaded being a decent human being a voice called out to me. 

“Miss, your presence has been requested in the main kitchen.” 

I was awoken to the sound of F.R.I.D.A.Y. trying to gently lure me to the land of the living. In my half-alive state I hadn’t realized what the AI was saying, what I had noticed was the loss of feeling from my elbow down. When I looked down at my hand, I panicked slightly. In my slumber it had  _ gone through _ the bedding and mattress. This was something that only particularly happened when I was stressed or trapped within my thoughts. Both seemed to be the case this time.

_ It happened again. _

Meeting the Avengers so suddenly and having gotten caught by them the same night. I needed to take my pills again. Throwing my patched leather jacket over the spaghetti-strapped top I chose to wear to sleep, I took two pills from a small bottle in my bag and knocked them back with some of the water Loki had given me the night before. When I placed my bottle back onto the nightstand, I was reminded of what was in the top drawer.  _ Who  _ was in the top drawer. 

“Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay-” When I had hurriedly and carefully pulled open the drawer I saw the familiar black and copper tones coiled around itself on the heating pad I had left for her. “Thank the fucking gods.”

_ She’s gonna need to be fed soon… _

Unfortunately, I couldn’t leave the tower to retrieve any food for Vesper, making life harder than necessary. There were other ways though, I’d just have to be sneaky about it… “Hey F.R.I.D.A.Y? Can uh-..Can you order me some frozen rats? Preferably newborns or day olds.” A weird thing for even someone like me to say out loud, but what I wouldn't risk for that snake.

“Yes Miss. I can have them delivered at 10:00 A.M. today. Please make your way to the kitchen, Mr Stark has requested your presence.”

I nodded, cursing myself for getting into this situation, surrounded by world famous heroes and away from my apartment. “Right, fuck.” If only I hadn’t taken the job offer at a club full of rich junkies. Of course I knew about all that went on, that was one of the reasons I signed up in the first place. It was a luxurious club full of wealthy individuals that only liked the most illegal and experimental drugs. 

_ They were living life on the edge for sure... _

Once I’d gotten out of my head, my hands subconsciously went to the pockets of my jacket and out came my phone. No new notifications... and it was almost nine on the dot. Right, to the kitchen!

  
  


After the groggy elevator ride and a short walk to the main kitchen, I became the center of attention the second I came into view. From the chatter I heard when I was approaching it sounded like they were discussing something important before the attention was thrown my way. 

“Ah, funny girl! Come, sit, join us!” Thor was the first to speak when I entered the room. He sat himself at a large table, close to the end. Steve sat with him while Natasha, Dr Banner and Tony stood. Looks like they were all enjoying their breakfast, didn’t stop them from throwing odd looks and glances in my direction. “We were just talking about you-!” He was quickly silenced by a jab from patriot pants. 

I raised a brow and threw a slight grin in Tony’s direction. “Were you now? I guess since I was  _ summoned _ it makes sense.” Humming, I went to sit down across from the God of Thunder, trying not to acknowledge the looks I was given. Which was difficult with the amount of eyes boring holes through me. 

“Midgardian, is that  Mjölnir on your coat?” He rose a brow, squinting to see the patch seated close to the top of my right shoulder. To which I nodded and most of the others began examining my jacket as well. “And my brother's helm! Where did you find these depictions?”

Shrugging, I leaned my head on the table and used my other arm to show him more. “They’re just iron-on patches, they’re in gift shops everywhere. I think I have one for almost every Avenger I know of. Loki’s helmet is the one exception I can think of, I got it before he became an Avenger.”

“ **Is that so?** ” 

The sound made us look over, mine and Thor’s attention being pulled towards a late rising Asgardian standing in the doorway to the kitchen. His smug face made me roll my eyes before returning back to my conversation with the blond hero. Loki had moved himself from the doorway to sit beside me, suspiciously quick, might I add. 

After I finished showing off all the colorful symbols not a moment late as Tony looked down at his watch with a sigh. “Who ordered  _ rats _ on my card? I know I said anything goes if you get your missions done, but dead, frozen rats?” He had gotten a notification about his bank statement and was rightfully confused, but didn’t bring it up again. Instead he cleared his throat and moved on to something worse. “Ahem, about  _ why _ I called you down here this morning… I got your drug tests and whatnot back from SHIELD this morning and the blood tests pointed to something irregular I was hoping you could clarify for me.”

I wasn’t worried at first, even when I rightfully should’ve been. “Mhmm, go ahead.”

“It stated that you had used an unspecified drug in the last twelve hours that had not been on your medical records or prescribed by a licensed professional. Would you mind telling me  _ what _ it was that you have been taking.” It was a statement. Stark wasn’t asking me for the information, he was telling me to give him the answers he needed. His words made me seize momentarily, all eyes being thrown onto me once more. 

Shaking my head, I looked over to him with a small smile. A liar's smile. “Nothing important, just some pain relievers.” Loki watched my expressions with curious side glances, it was apparent that he knew I wasn’t giving my full honesty, he was the prince of lies afterall. Thankfully, he said nothing.

Tony sipped his coffee as he gave me a skeptical stare, clearly unconvinced. “If I knew it was nothing more than tylenol I wouldn’t have asked.” He was right about that. With the tech that SHIELD possessed they would be able to tell anything that I’ve taken in the last month. They were gonna know sooner or later, but there was no reason to willingly hand them the information. “But we’ll find out, there's no reason to pressure you about it.”

_ I need to get out of here before they find out what it is. _

“Like that’s not creepy at all…” I huffed, trying to keep my anxiety at bay for the moment. If SHIELD figured it out, there’s no way that I’d live a normal life again; I’d end up like that Wanda chick… “I guess when you figure out that it’s just an over the counter drug you’ll be more disappointed than anything else. Now, how ‘bout some coffee?” Sighing, Tony went back to talking with Natasha and Bruce turned around to do something I couldn’t see from where I was sitting.

Not moments later, when I was about to stand to make myself a mug of that glorious bean juice, the doctor tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a coffee cup. “I didn’t know how you liked it, so I added some light cream and sugar.”

“Awe, thanks Dr Banner. I would’ve taken it black if I’m being honest.” 

From my peripheral vision I could see The Captain shake his head in disagreement. I guess not everyone likes it plain. “Please, call me Bruce.” Nodding, I gave him a small ‘Can do’, with a smile. He reciprocated and walked back to his place behind the counter, next to Stark, who raised a singular brow to his generosity. Seems like he was one of the nicer ones. 

“Miss, your package will be sent to your room as it arrives.” Making the moment more rigid, if possible, F.R.I.D.A.Y. announced the very thing that went (nearly)unnoticed since it’s first mention. But the Ironman took notice and looked up, brows furrowed in confusion. 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., What’s in the package?”

“One dozen blast frozen rats, sir.”

_ Don’t ask- _

“And whose room is it being sent to?”

_ He asked. _

I felt myself mentally facepalm. I knew he’d ask questions, and now Vesper’s going to be found, I’ll be screwed and he’ll make me bring her elsewhere. Even through my rather panicked thinking, I could feel eyes on me, specifically beside me. When I turned to look I saw The God of Mischief glancing at me from between drinks of water. He knew something I didn’t, and it got on my nerves. “It’s to be delivered to Miss (Y/N)’s room.” Now instead of one pair of eyes, there were six.

“What? I have my reasons.”

“Like wha-”

The elevator dinged and out came a sweaty, dark haired guy chugging a bottle of water at the speed of light, he was occupied at the moment but when the bottle moved from his face he looked around with a confused expression. His white tank top had become nearly see through with the amount of sweat and water covering his body, the outline of each and everyone of his muscles was on display. But what really caught my eye was the shiny metal arm. Vibranium. Rare and powerful in all its glory. Easy to tell apart because of the very slight blue tint and the absence of scratches or dents. The science nerd in me was going crazy at the sight, but alas I had to pull my eyes away to not seem weird. 

Mystery guy from last night had pulled their attention away from me long enough for the conversation to be inept by the time that Captain America spoke up. 

“Bucky, how was early morning training?” Steve had broken the silence, but my mind had finally recollected itself and remembered who this hunk of meat was. The winter soldier. James ‘Bucky’ Barnes. The man with the robo-arm. His face was all over TV, and his redemption, alongside Loki’s, was the biggest surprise that SHIELD could’ve rolled out to the public. 

_ Why do I feel like a minou compared to these sharks? _

**_Probably because you are._ **

The sudden intrusion of another voice made me wince slightly. It felt like a sudden and temporary wave of nausea crashing into me only to bounce off and leave. Because I knew it wasn’t my thoughts that had responded, I became worried. Thought I was going mad. Something else to add to my list of paranoia. But one man could tell, he could see the way I flinched earlier, and even now when I began glaring down at the table cloth.

Bucky nodded and walked past the lot of us to the fridge, grabbing yet another bottle of water and drinking that quickly too. “Fine, I got more done than usual.” He spoke through labored breaths and slight pants, running a sweaty hand through his hair before he turned around to the elevator again. “I’m gonna get a shower.”

“Right. I’ve got to meet with a representative at SHIELD today so don’t expect me at lunch.” Steve quickly called out, just before the doors to the elevator closed once more. The blond turned and walked in the other direction with a short wave.

So that was _ the _ winter soldier. Mysterious. 

Tony nodded, putting his cup in the sink and Bruce not long after. “I’ll be in the lab, don’t wait up on me either.” Bruce hummed a soft ‘same’, and left after him for a lower floor in the tower.

_ And then there were three. _

Not much was said after that, Natasha simply left and Thor crashed on a close by couch; presumably to nap. And I left before I could see where Loki went. I didn’t want to return to my room for the day, and I didn’t want to go where others would be. So, as I roamed the halls of the Avengers tower an Idea struck me. 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. Is there anything around here to do? That people don’t visit often?”

“Yes miss. There’s a pool, library, screening room-”

“Anything with instruments?” It was rude, yes, but I wasn’t interested in luxury or anything physically draining.

The AI paused, as if loading, only to speak up a moment later. “Only a Piano in the lower lounging area.” It’s voice was devoid of emotion or feeling. Creepy.

“Thanks F.R.I.D.A.Y. Now, how exactly do I get there?”

“I can guide you Miss.”

“You’re just a perfect piece of work aren’t you? Take me away robot lady!”

Unbeknownst to me, I was being watched once again. The ever curious God of Mischief wanted to know more about me before anyone else. He was intrigued and needed to know whatever secret that I was too scared to reveal in the first place. The secret I used drugs to suppress. The secret that would change my life even more than it had been since moving in. The secret that would pull the truth from the prince of lies. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm gonna try to update every 2-3 days? The more time I have the longer chapters I can make, even though I'm still gonna try to stay within the 2.5-3k words limit so I don't go overboard. 
> 
> Up till now, the story had been told within the past-tense as if you were just recalling the memory yourself. That's because up until this point it's mostly been exposition and description to give you an idea of what's going to happen in the future chapters. Starting next chapter, chapter three, it will be in first person and rarely switch between perspectives among the other Avengers members.
> 
> If you read the tags, you might've gotten confused about the 'music lover', 'mutant', and most likely 'Hamilton references'. Those have intentional meanings, and will be explained later with certain scenes I thought up in the beginning. As for the music, after every chapter, if there's a song that I've included, I'll add it in the chapter notes along with the song artist.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Meeting Another Hero

When you reached the room that  F.R.I.D.A.Y. had directed you to, your eyes immediately went to the black grand piano in the center of the room, surrounded by few comfortable chairs and couches. The room was decorated very minimalistically. Few monochrome decorations were scattered among the walls and on small end tables. To top it off, a dramatic looking spot light was shining down onto the seat of the piano. It was clear the room was meat for the rare occasion that someone in the tower knew how to play, and wanted to show off. Coincidentally, at the moment, that person was you. 

Only, you wanted to be alone rather than showing off. 

You’d hope you could find this place empty at any time, especially because of your shyness when it came to your musical talents. At best, you assumed this room would be a hot spot for Tony to show off during his many formal parties. A tragedy it wouldn’t get used to its full potential. Packed with people surrounding a talented Pianist, playing their heart out on those very keys. 

So, after making sure the room was empty, and looking around at how expensive everything must've been priced; you slid behind the instrument. A melodic sound echoed throughout the room. Stroking a few keys proved that it was already broken in; the question of who broke it in was a thought, but not for long as your fingers glided along the white plastic as if it was routine. It was no longer a question if you were ready, your fingers worked in tandem with the memories held deep within your heart. 

“ **_I’m getting hickeys from my bed bugs; I’m getting busy with a bed perfume_ ** _. _ ”

Voice lilted and words soft, you played as it came to you naturally. The words were less than conservative. They were definitely crude, but there was a metaphorical meaning to each and every odd line. 

“ **_I’m sticking kisses to a pendrug; I’m making friction with a sad vacuum._ ** ”

The tune got slightly quicker, only to slow and loop back to the same line. Most of the song was the same way, voicing the same meaning behind different words. 

_ Love lost to death.  _

At least that’s how you interpreted it. How you saw the artist's words written into a mournful story. Sadness hidden in music. It wasn’t a foreign concept; especially since that’s how you learned to express yourself in the first place. Music. Different songs spoke to you; but it all brought back the same memory. The same painful thought being suppressed over and over again with pieces of melodic art. 

“ **_I’m having sex with a ghost ‘cause she knows I’m alone. She’s a freak in the sheets; play it cool._ ** ”

A soft high note at the end to accentuate the end of the chorus and move on to the next bridge. Often used in pieces with repeating tunes, such as this one. At this point you were using the philosophy of songwriting and the techniques used to silence your already wild mind. It didn’t take long to get lost in the rhythm of the song. Your fingers may as well have moved on their own, reenacting what has been played on the same medium so many times before. Not long after, the song was over, and your fingers struck a sudden sour note when you noticed another presence in the room along with yours. 

“If you wanted a serenade you could’ve just asked…” Chuckling dryly, you swiveled around to meet the same deep green that had welcomed you with a kiss to your hand. Loki had caught on, it wasn’t his place to stay and listen unannounced, but if he had, then maybe you wouldn't have put as much feeling into your playing. 

Pushing himself off of the luxury furniture, Loki cleared his throat and attempted to erase the grin carved into his features to no avail. “Well I didn’t want to interrupt, it seemed as if you’d lost yourself in the song; which was beautiful may I add.” Flattery ebbed into his silver tongue attempting to ease your ever growing skittishness. 

You felt rigid, he wasn’t meant to hear. But you were thankful that’s  _ all  _ he heard. Who knows what would’ve rolled off your tongue had you continued. “Right...Thank you. I guess I’ll-uh...I’ll get going.” Your words were stammered and nervous, as if he had threatened you with his presence. Standing, your hands went straight to your pockets. The song brought back more than it had originally been meant to. Too much. 

“ _ Wait. _ ”

Loki’s voice had bent you into submission, making your shoulders tense up as you turned back around to meet his eyes. When (E/C) met green he was much closer than originally thought to be, making you hold your breath without thinking. “I’d like to ask you about your selection of music. It confused me. Why that song, above anything else?” His question confused you slightly, but when you looked at his expression you could tell he was completely serious. It seemed as if he really cared for the answer, even if you didn’t yourself.

Exhaling, you spoke softly with a shaky breath. “I dunno..” Even in the short time Loki and the rest of the Avengers knew you, he knew this wasn’t normal of you. Being so quiet and almost reserved. 

_ I would tell him if he cared... _

**_What if he does?_ **

The same voice from earlier in the kitchen racked through your brain, sending slight shivers through your body and making you want to hide away. “I-I’m sorry, excuse me.” In a hurry, you pushed past Loki, turned and left the room in the same direction you came. The elevator was right around the corner, just a few more feet and it would be room, sweet room. But life was never easy on you. The God of Mischief caught up with you and laid an  _ almost  _ gentle hand on your shoulder, as if he didn’t want to break you. This time though, his expression was demanding. He didn’t plan to leave without a direct answer from your lips. 

“About your selection of-”

Shrugging his hand away, you cut him off with a sigh, his expression twisting to that of annoyance. “I told you I don’t know, I just-...Felt like it.” Loki looked down at you with furrowed brows, a debate within his thoughts present behind his eyes. He was acting like a spoiled child, demanding answers from you when clearly it wasn’t his place.

_ Weirdo… _

For a split second his face softened and it allowed you to turn away from him and get onto the elevator without another word. A few hours alone to think it over and you’d be good as new again. Time was needed to push away everything that attempted to wedge it’s way back into your mind. 

  
  


After some time to think, it was a bit after lunch and you hoped that no one would be in the kitchen to speak to you. Even after putting the walls back up and to full working order again, it didn’t mean you were ready to have them dropped again by an invasive conversation. Thankfully, you were alone for the moment.

Looking through the cabinets and the fridge, you concluded this place really did have everything. It was chalk full of food of all types, you were sure that the freezer, pantry, and other cabinets were the same as well. After deciding on what you wanted to cook it was easy to slip your headphones on and tune it to full volume as you grabbed the different ingredients. 

_ Haha, spicy. _

Even the spice rack had loads of expensive and exotic seasonings, just great for what you were making. 

Just as you were adding the finishing touches, a presence was felt behind you; effectively scaring you out of your skin. So in a flurry of limbs and steel, you had the blade mere inches from someone's neck, your other hand whipping around to protect the food behind you. Bright blue eyes looked both scared and surprised. Just yet another person you  _ knew  _ but didn’t  _ really know.  _ The arrowsmith known to the public as Hawkeye; known as Clint Barton to the superfans. 

“Woah, a bit too close for comfort there, sings-a-lot.” His voice was steady, but nervous. You could tell he wasn’t aware that you were new to the tower, but waited till you pulled the kitchen ware away from his flesh. “Uh-...I heard you from down the hall, why’re you in our kitchen?”

Suddenly, feeling much less confident, you cleared your throat and pulled your headphones out; glad that you heard him speak the first time. “Ahem, I’m living here till Stark and Fury release me. They think I’m suspicious or something, sorry about the knife thing, by the way.” Clint nodded, accepting of your apology and ogled down at your steaming food. “Clint, right? Hawkeye, rather..” He nodded, and you introduced yourself, reaching out to shake his hand with a small smile. 

“Nice to meet you too, whatcha eating?” He cut straight to the chase, as he was seen to do in different interviews, and began to look at the different ingredients splayed out across the counter and stove top. 

“Oh-uh, I got hungry and came to make myself something. It's pretty much just ramen with a bit of extra flare, but it’s better than nothing! You hungry too?”

He smiled, his hands resting on the counter behind him as he leaned backwards. “Am I?” Hawkeye had the excitement of a child, his eyes gleaming as they feasted upon the freshly made dish of food. “What all did you add to it? I see the spices or whatever, but you have eggs ‘n stuff out too right?”

“Oh, I pan fried some steak and added an egg to the water when I boiled the noodles, just to make it look fancy I guess. I usually add hot sauce to mine though, so it doesn’t really help with the spice.” He nodded along his stomach making garbled noises with hunger. 

Huffing, he crossed his arms across his chest with a boyish groan. “Ah, you're making me hungry just talking about it, kid. I think you’re the only one in this tower that can cook... _ decently. _ ” Laughing at himself, you let your own little giggle free too. 

“Yeah, I noticed that. Seems most of the food here is ready to eat or microwavable.”

There was a short silence as you made Clint his own bowl, making sure not to add as much hot sauce to his as you did yours. When you turned to hand it over, he smiled and thanked you, taking a quick bite and smiling at the flavor. 

When he paused and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, he looked at you with a grin. “So good! I felt like I haven’t eaten in days and this is my hail Mary.” 

You covered your mouth as you laughed, trying to resist coughing up your meal. “I feel like you’re overreacting, but thank you. Guess I’m Gordon Ramsey ‘around these parts! Shoot!” Midway through talking, you quickly switched to a southern/cowboy eque accent and began laughing at your own stupidity. It was clear that you were in a much better mood than earlier, but good music and your reptilian can do that to you. 

The arrowsmith laughed with you, jabbing your side and poking fun at your accent. “Heh, You’re pretty funny, I’ll give you that  _ Mr. Ramsey _ . And I’m supposed to be the wisecrack around here.”

“Right, that’s your thing.” You smiled, setting your bowl to the side.

“Actually, archery is my thing. Wisecracking is like a side gig for me.” He shrugged, living up to his so-called ‘side gig’ with a chuckle.

“Well then, since hustling is  _ my  _ thing, I might just apply for the job.”

He nodded, dropping his dish in the sink before turning back to you. “Touche, knucklehead. Touche. I’m gonna get out of your hair; I’ve gotta unpack my stuff. See you around!” Clint waved you off and walked back down the hall to the elevator.

Hawkeye seemed like the cool uncle type. Eating ice cream before dinner, staying up past bedtime, just overall being someone fun to hangout with. But it was clear from his fights that he also had his fair share of serious moments too, often being hurt and sent to recovery for weeks by SHIELD. He was definitely one to bounce back from almost anything.

The rest of the team was also undeniably like family, notably a stereotypical nuclear family. Tony and Steve would be the father and mother respectively. Bruce and Natasha are the Older siblings, while Loki and Thor are the younger ones. As for Bucky? Well, Bucky seemed like a close family friend. Someone distant from the closeness of a snug family. And that leaves Clint’s opening for the cool uncle viable. One big happy family. Something I should stay out of. Regardless, that’s not my business, and won’t be after I leave. It’ll be like a fever dream, with no evidence that it happened, other than the SHIELD records about your equipment and suspicious behavior. 

_ I forgot about that...I still wanna show it to Tony and Fury if they’ll let me. _

With a sigh, you placed your own bowl in the sink and began to clean your mess, starting with the leftover food. Once that was put up, you went to put up the spices, then the rest of the dishes, and eventually your headphones were back in and you began to dance and sing as you worked to clean your mess. It took almost no time, and lifted your spirits quite a deal. Something that cleaning usually brought out of you. 

When everything was said and done, it was time to hide away in your room again till dinner rolled around again, and hopefully then you’d get the chance to speak with Tony about the tech that Fury had been holding hostage. If the chance did happen to present Itself, then the product would most likely become government owned and be used for different missions within the ranks. 

That machinery has the ability to bring people to their knees with a button. Using different frequencies, it could possibly burst the eardrums of those who hear it. At its least effective, it could simply shut down motor function or lull someone to sleep, but at its most...Death was a likely chance. That was the most likely reason it was taken. Even if they didn’t know it yet. Luckily, for discrepancies sake, it could easily be disguised as a stereo or DJ equipment. Part of the reason you’d ended up in this mess.

In all of your thinking, you’d reach your room once more. Happy to relax with Vesper, and take a bit more time to yourself and how you were gonna present your ideas to Stark, and possibly the head of SHIELD. It was dreaming to think they’d allow you to operate it after dissecting it for answers, if they haven’t already figured out all the bells and whistles while you were basically imprisoned. But that was a thought for Dinner, when you decided that you’d speak to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha...It was a bit late, i'll admit. But I'm already working on the forth chapter as I post this, and It should be out much quicker, as it is easier to write than this filler trash. I wanted to move on with the plot but considering so much was thrown your way in the first two chapters I decided you needed a bit of a break and some Uncle Clint goodness for the soul. 
> 
> And if you haven't noticed it yourself, I'm quite proud of the shallow hints and bits of lore I've thrown your way. If you did manage to catch a few of them, congrats, you'll have a good idea of what's to come. Anyway, enough of end notes(if you even read these, that is), Happy reading!
> 
> Song; Sex with a Ghost - Teddy Hyde


	4. Responses and Ruses

After nearly five full hours of on and off napping and vibing to relaxing music with the best snake in the world, it was close to the time you’d normally eat(and hopefully the others were the same way). Meaning, you’d be able to catch Tony to speak with him about the whole ordeal and what  _ you  _ independently developed; even though it was mostly an accident. As you stood and stretched, you peered down at the copper and brown tones with a soft smile. She was curled up in the place you had just stood from, craving the warmth you left behind. 

After having to leave her in a drawer for hours through the night, something tugged at your heart, feeling bad that it was the best you could do in this situation. So, you ultimately decided you’d allow her to coil in the decorative tree that adorned a corner of your room. The heating pad would be close by; placed on a desk that you pushed closer to the plant. Now she had space and warmth to her heart's content. 

_ If I could speak snake I know she’d tell me that she loves it. _

Smiling at your quick thanking and handy work, you left the room, out to seek an audience with the man of Iron himself. Hopefully, he’d still be in the building and not out and about. 

A quick walk later and you walked into the kitchen, waving and smiling at those who turned their attention towards you. “Hey Noodle! I told you I’d see you around, how’s it hanging?” Not a minute in the kitchen and Clint had spotted you, walked over, and lugged his arm over your shoulders.

Everyone you had previously met was somewhere in the kitchen/dining room area, weather it be on the couch, at the table, or conversing in the kitchen area. Bucky and Loki had even been in attendance, quietly watching from the sidelines rather than participating socially. From what you knew of them, that was standard behavior, nothing new. 

“Ah-...Pretty good actually, it was odd this morning,” Loki had found your eyes just as he downed whatever that was in his cup. He knew what you meant, but chose not to comment. The morning was something that you pushed aside and chose to avoid. Mostly because of the baggage that came with it. “But the rest of the day has been pretty chill. Oh, right! Have you seen Tony around? I needed to ask him something.” 

From across the room, Steve spoke up as he leaned against the granite kitchen island. “Nick called him up to SHIELD HQ right before they closed. Said there was something important he needed to talk about as soon as possible.”

“Any clue when he’ll be back?”

“Mr. Stark will return in approximately 45 seconds. He is driving at speeds higher than the local speed limit for reasons unknown.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke up before Steve could answer, your eyes widening in surprise and confusion. The other avengers looked between themselves, brows raised or furrowed in uncertainty. Seems this really wasn’t like Tony, enough so that the rest were worried. 

Bruce sighed deeply, looking between Steve and you with worried eyes. “He’s not exactly one to go by strict law but...I don’t think he’d risk himself to get home for chinese takeout. It must be something extremely important if he’s-”

Mid sentence the sound of a light bell interrupted the doctor, making everyone look towards the elevator. Tony stumbled out, disheveled, and his eyes immediately went to you. “Barton, put her hands behind her back. Restrain her.” For someone so confident, he seemed weary, skeptical of you. So much so that he told Hawkeye to (practically)put you in cuffs.

“What? B-but she’s just a kid-”

“No. She’s enhanced. A  _ mutant _ . That's what the drugs were, from the tests. To suppress the mutant genes and keep her normal.”

“Tony, we’ve dealt with enhanced individuals before. What about Wanda? Or Pietro-” First it was Bruce, then Clint, and now Steve. It seemed as if no one would get to finish speaking their mind while Stark’s heart rate was through the roof. 

Shaking his head, the man of iron steadied himself smoothing back his hair and standing straight up. “Doesn’t matter, she needs to be restrained and kept under close watch till we can know what exactly it is that she can do.”

_ It would be easier to just tell you… _

**_Then do it. Expose yourself. Tell them of your abilities._ **

The feeling of that same voice was no longer a short blunt dagger to your temple, more like a small stone hitting your forehead. From a quick pain to a dull throb. You’d guess that it was something that just took some getting used to. That didn’t mean it was something you’d accepted, it was still weird, but not as weird as the first time, by far. 

_ Maybe I should, then they can go ahead and lock me up. _

Pulling yourself away from Clint, you cleared your throat and looked towards Bucky on the couch. “Throw me that cushion. Not too hard, I know you’re a big boy.” You chuckled dryly, catching the pillow as it hit your chest. Bucky didn’t question it, nor did he give you any kind of reaction. 

You held the pillow with one hand, showing it to those watching around the room, making sure to show that it was completely intact; no holes, no rips, no way to fake anything. With the confidence of a children's birthday party magician, you pressed your hand to the soft fabric and slowly pushed, focusing on the anatomy of the pillow and your hand. Your hand felt like it was pushing through static. The cotton stuffing made it feel as though your hand was going numb, without the pins and needles of your nerves buttting in to ruin it. Other than that, it probably was going numb. Just a side effect of being able to phase through things. 

_ All power comes with a price... _

It took a lot of energy and even more concentration to pull it off without getting stuck. A wonder how you could do it in your sleep, without trying. Soon, you felt the return of cool air to your skin, fingertips poking through to the other side with no resistance. “ _ Tada _ ,” you huffed, sarcasm seeping into your tone. It didn’t hurt, but it was a strain on your mind and muscles. Even worse when the pills you took this morning was restraining you further.

“Ah, well…”

Stark was lost for words, slightly impressed by the boldness, but still apprehensive. He’d yet to make a decision as to whether or not the demonstration was enough for him to allow you your current path of life. “I’ll speak with Fury immediately. In the meantime, you are not to leave this room. You are to be surrounded by eyes at all times and you will hand over the drugs you used to keep your mutant genes suppressed.” He’s used the same tone of voice during press-conferences and interviews. He meant business.

When you gave him a brow and a look that could only be described with ‘make me’, his face hardened and he glanced towards Loki, who appeared at his side not a moment later in a flash of green, pills in hand. You didn’t have to look at the God of Mischief to know he had a smirk etched into his skin, made apparent by the way he stuck his nose in the air and puffed his chest out like a tom-cat. Typical. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever, it’s not like I had a choice anyway.” Spoken like a true sore loser. Not that you’d expected to win anyway, but the way it was presented made you feel as if you were being toyed with. A buzz in your pocket and a familiar ringtone made your blood boil. That ringtone belonged to one and only one contact in your phone. “I’m going to bed, I have a few calls to make before things are said and done.”

The others could feel the hostility radiating from you, it made the whole room tense. And as you struggled to pull your hand away from the pillow, it only got worse. You were no longer angry because of the earlier events, but because of the constant ringing through your mobile device. 

_ F-ing Don. Can’t he just leave me alone?! _

After taking a few breaths, it became easier to pull your hand away from the pillows grasp. Took long enough. With a deep sigh, you folded yourself backwards onto the floor. A bit over dramatic, sure, but it was better than sauntering back to the couch with a pout. “So I guess since I can’t leave this room I’ll be sleeping here?” Tony looked down at you with a raised brow before nodding, his expression unchanging. 

“When those pills of yours wear off I’m taking you to SHIELD for examination, they need to test the full limits of what you can do. Afterwards, it’s up to Fury what happens to you.” He was monotonous, like he was dealing with a criminal. How degrading. Going from acquaintances to nothing was a quick switch, even for him. Your mind went to his past run-ins with ‘the enhanced’, as he called it. Wanda and Peitro turned out well, so it was likely other encounters that made him quick to react this way.

“Okay, can I at least make a few calls before I’m under lockdown?”

“You can make them,” He paused. “in here.” 

With a groan, you sat up, shaking your head and pulling yourself closer to the couch. Once you pulled yourself to lean against the bottom of the couch, head resting on the cushions, your hand found your earbuds and phone, motioning to do what had become a habit.

Not that you could hear, but the sight of Steve, Natasha, Bruce, Clint, and Tony speaking around you made your heart beat fast. Only because they were talking about the elephant in the room. The mutant lounging on their floor. But a couple deep breaths relaxed you enough to close your eyes and rest. 

  
  


An hour or so later, there was a poke at your leg and a friendly looking Captain America holding out a to-go box. In the time that you hadn’t been paying attention the Avengers had gotten food, and it seemed Steve was the only one who took you into account when ordering. Taking out one of your earbuds, you took the box and thanked him with a soft smile. “No problem. Wouldn't want our guest star to starve.”

With a small giggle you opened the box and looked back up to him, a slight look of guilt etched into your expression. “How much did you pay for this food? It looks well out of my budget.” The box was full of some alfredo style pasta and a warm roll. 

“It’s well in ours so don’t worry about it.” He shook his head, offering you a disposable fork with a warm half-smile.

“Hmm. Fine, but I’m making dinner tomorrow.”

“And you’ll have no objection from me. Now eat up, I wanna see if we can drag the others into watching a movie with us afterwards.”

_ Thank the gods, I needed a new dad. _

There was a short, distinctive snicker among the chatter and chewing. It made you glance towards Loki’s blue-green eyes, unaware how long he’d been staring at you. Just another thing to add to your mental list of things you found odd about him. But then again, what wasn’t odd about the Avatar of Chaos. Soon enough, you’d eaten all that you could of the meal presented, and stood to put the box in the trash.

Just as you were halfway towards the garbage can, the box in your hands disappeared. Faded like it was never there. Sighing, for what felt like the millionth time today, you turned around to meet bright emeralds staring down at you; a little too close to comfort, might you add. 

Loki started by clearing his throat and extending his hand with your box in it, the other tucked neatly away behind him. “Good evening,  _ songbird _ . I’ve come to apologies for my earlier actions, and, try as I will, redeem myself.” His voice was smooth and silky, like silk. The god looked to hold himself to a high standard; everything from his fashion to his posture spoke royalty. 

“Uh, sure...But I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to do that another day, seeing as my stay has been extended.” You spoke, slightly unsure of the man that had demanded to know the meaning of your song. When you plucked the box from his hand, Loki gave a half-grin, a feline-like gleam of curiosity setting into his irises.

“But of course, I shall leave you to your own accords.”

The god bowed his head slightly, and turned to exit the room. Once he was out of sight, the captain tapped your shoulder and wistfully reminded you of the movies he wanted to play on the big screen. “Cool, what's on the chopping block?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I suck. I got the chapter out much later than intended, but it wasn't on purpose. I had to go and buy a new charger, mine wasn't working. But because of my schedule I could never find time. ( >~<)
> 
> Hope you aren't too mad. xx


	5. Sitting right there...

“Is-...Is this really necessary?!” You huffed, running from wall to wall in what looked to be an upscaled version of a school gymnasium. It was apparently supposed to be a part of their examination, but you couldn’t understand why they were using fitness tests from high school. The air conditioning in the room did nothing for how much you sweat or hurt, it almost made it worse; cold sweats were no fun either. It honestly reminded you of not too fond memories of your first meet and greet with Captain America’s chest...

The fitnessgram pacer test is a multistage aerobic capacity test-

Nick Fury and Stark stood perpendicular to your running path, Tony occasionally snickering while the head of SHIElD stood stone-faced.Tony had barely pulled off a straight face when you looked his way, a light glare pointed towards him. “Absolutely.” The man of iron nodded behind him, intent on making sure you keep up the work for his own amusement. 

It felt like you hadn't stopped complaining since you started the physical examination. Especially because you were the only one embarrassing yourself to do it. “Seriously?! I feel like I’m in ninth grade again! Can I stop yet?!” Why couldn’t they just run tests on your powers? Isn’t that what you were there for? It seemed a bit much to test you in such old fashion. 

“Don’t stop! You got it, just a bit more!”

Maybe next time I should get him some pom poms. And a skirt too.

Clint had been cheering you on the whole time, insisting that he came with Tony when he brought you to SHIELD. It was a sweet gesture, and something that made you feel better about your endeavors, but sometimes he got a bit too intense. At least it was just those three, lest you get embarrassed by your ability to run in front of the rest of the Avengers. Other than three days ago, it had been quite some time since you’ve had to run like your life depended on it.

When you left the tower, only three people were awake, Natasha, Clint, and Tony. Two of which were going with you to be inspected. Natasha was up for her morning run, a routine that he and Hawkeye had kept up together. You were sure that the system had most likely been updated since the rest of the group did theirs. Apparently, you were wrong. SHIELD still used highschool level tests with a bit more extreme goals. Such as; fifty laps opposed to ten or fifteen.

Steve and Natasha could probably do it way quicker...But they’ve been doing it longer.

“We’ll be examining those powers of yours after this test, so hurry up with those fifty laps.” Nick almost made it sound easy, he also couldn’t have been any less entertained when he said it though. By the time you did finish the running you wanted to collapse into a puddle of sweaty mutant girl. “Over here soldier, we need to move to another room.”

You just barely stopped yourself from rolling your eyes, Fury probably wouldn’t have cared anyway, it was just more polite not to. With a sigh, you tiredly walked behind the two men, Clint at your side with an encouraging smile. “Psst, arrowhead.” He hummed in acknowledgement, eyes being cast down at you. “Wanna hug?”

“Not really, you smell.” 

Without warning you wrapped your arms completely around his side with an evil smile. “Nonsense!” Hawkeye grimaced, trying to stick his nose in the air, away from the smell. Of course you knew about his sensitive nose, he’d told you about it within the time you were stuck in the main common room, but it made it just that much more fun. “See, it’s not so bad.”

“I’m gonna smell like sweat and dirt all day! Get off, kid!” He tried to push you away without touching you too much, still trying to avoid the smell. It only made you laugh all the more.

Nick yelled a quick ‘hey’ loud enough to catch both of your attention. When you looked, he clearly wasn’t in the mood, so you let go. “Would you two stop it and get on the damn elevator?!” And so you both did, getting off onto another floor a minute or two later.

From looking out the window, you could tell that you were much higher off the ground now, your fear of heights making you step away from the glass with slightly widened eyes. How nice, it was a short, sarcastic thought, but enough for you to regain focus and follow Stark and Furry once more. 

When you returned your attention back to the small group, another woman joined the posse; none other than Pepper Pots, CEO of Stark Industries. She was speaking with Tony before they both turned their heads to you with no warning. My name must’ve come up, but why? The ginger made eye contact and smiled, saying something unintelligible to her spouse and quickly striding past him in your direction. 

Holy Shit. The pepper Potts is coming in my direction. A dream come true!

As one of the top women of the largest tech company in the world it was a surprise that she even looked in your direction. And now she’s on her way to talk to you? Looks like living with the Avengers had more perks than originally accounted for. One one of those happened to be Pepper Fucking Potts. Seemed things just kept going up after getting caught. 

“Ah,” Pepper addresses you formally, looking you up and down with a friendly smile. “I believe it’s time for your checkup, but first, I’d love to talk to you about the piece of machinery that was sent my way around two days ago. Ring any bells?”

“Yes, and I’d love to talk to you ab-”

“Wonderfull, you can talk while we test the limitations of your mutant genes.” Escorting you towards yet another new person, the woman who’s meant to examine you, smiles and opens the door to a laboratory-type room colored in all white. Different bells and whistles were lined across the walls, buttons and different vials of who knows what splayed everywhere, and to top it all off, papers among papers scattered and pinned about. Even though it was a nice room, it was still a bit messy...But even the greatest minds need room to work, so it’s expected. 

Eventually, the same Scientist and someone who appears to be a lackey show you to a leather chair attached to many different devices and screens. As much as you trusted that Stark and CLint wouldn’t let you get hurt, you were still slightly nervous. When you did decide to get into the chair, your eyes continued to nervously dart around to the faces of aquatenses, Pepper, the chair, and back again. 

“Now that we have you seated, can you tell us the base of what you can do? Or what you know of. Then we can move on to the equipment in my possession.”

You thought for a moment, first to how it looked, then to how it was actually made possible. “Um, I can stick my body through things? Well, it’s more like I’m converting the matter of my cells to something that can easily merge with other things and slide through them kinda like that Ant-dude can change his body to be smaller by compacting the molecular structure of his body…” When you realized that you went on a short rant session about physics and molecular structure, you stopped and looked up with a slightly sheepish expression.

Pepper was seemingly impressed while Tony gave an approving nod and the intern in the back furiously wrote down everything you said and possibly more. “Excellent! Seems that you're smarter than you care to let on. Can you tell me about anything else? Anything else you can do?”

“Hmm, well I’ve only been able to bring small objects with me when I do it, but when I learned to practice regularly with different sized items I was able to bring a duffle bag with me. Tried to bring a person, but he was being a pansy about it.”

“He?”

“Don’t worry about it. That’s the biggest thing I was ever able to bring with me.” You shrugged, not minding the poking and prodding at your arm and other portions of your body. It was strange for a moment, but after you began to talk it wasn’t too terrible.

Pepper was all smiles, trying to seem as less threatening as possible. Everything you spoke, she nodded, seeming to be storing everything she learned to her own personal database. “Can you give us an example? I’d love to see you in action.”

“I guess, not too sure what you’re expecting. What exactly do you want to see?”

“Not much, I’d like to see you stick a part of your body through solid material. Then maybe a demonstration of the objects as well?”

“That's not too hard, but I’ll need something to work with..Can you pass me that clip board? And the pen too, please.” Once you had the items in hand, you were able to easily pass through the board without the restraints of drugs and exhaustion. When your hand went through, you used your other to pass the pen and pull it through without much more effort. “It’s easier when I’m passing through thinner objects, even more so when it’s only one part of my body. In the end, there’s more variables than I can count on my fingers and toes.”

Pepper nodded, taking the pen and clipboard and setting them aside with her same continuous smile. “Alright, I need to go for the moment. I have a meeting with investors. Nick, I’ll leave you with the rest. Before you leave I’ll see you off, I still have yet to speak with you about your confiscated toy. Have fun with the testing.” She turned, her heals loud against the tile, and pressed a chaste kiss against Tony’s cheek before leaving.

“Let’s get this shit over with. There’s still more work to be done.”

( /`3`/)

Even after hours of prodding and questions, there was still one thing left to do. Decide your fate. As of now, you were in the good graces of both Nick, Tony and Clint; even if two of the three were still apprehensive of your presence. There were two, completely different, roads for Nick to send you down. First there was talk about which prison you needed to be sent to, how long you’d need to be examined before being able to return to civilian life, and then more about becoming a part-time/full-time Avenger. Even though the latter would be preferable, you just weren’t sure that you could make it as an Avenger, but it was certainly better than being locked up till they could find somewhere suitable.

“I believe I’ve made my decision. She will continue being under your care, and you’ll put her into the hero program, train her, then we’ll talk about schedules, living arrangements and all that jazz.” Nick leaned back, sprawling in his chair as his eye was locked with Tony’s in a serious manner. 

It was a relief to hear, but that didn’t mean it was exactly what you wanted. It would’ve been better if you could’ve just been put on a watch list or something. That way you wouldn’t have to risk your life for a job…It was a job of credible cause though. Just another thing to add to my pro’s list.

Tony nodded, his hand stroking the hair on his chin in thought, it seemed as if he was on board as well. “Her skills will be very useful in undercover and stealth missions, though I’m sure she’ll become at least decent at combat. Hand-to-hand or otherwise.” You loved how they talked about you as if you weren’t sitting right there. It was so polite of them. 

“Agreed, but she won’t be able to do anything but intern and train until I deem her fit for anything otherwise.” They continued speaking as if you weren’t there. Though, it was likely the price to pay for information on your own life. At least you weren’t getting locked up…

Nick stood, and so did Tony. Leaving you to awkwardly push yourself up and look between the two of them. “I look forward to seeing you two back in the next few weeks. And you’d better have some good news.” They shook hands and parted ways, Stark moving to leave as you shuffled behind him. 

This is gonna be a long few weeks....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the more dialog heavy chapter, I felt you needed a good excuse to become acquainted with the woman herself, Pepper Potts. As the story goes on, I should be the one to tell you that there will be a lot of description about your character that likely won't match up with your actual personality. Such as the fear of heights, love of snakes, or even holding Pepper on such a high pedestal. It'll all line up in time, ta ta for now!
> 
> Thanks for 250 hits and 20 Kudos!


	6. Best Buddy Bucky

After less than three hours of swinging at a punching bag, mostly wild hits, you could feel sweat dampening your back, under arms, and even under your breasts. You felt gross, sticky, sore, so forth and so forth. Sadly, even if you begged, your  _ mentor  _ wouldn't give you a break till you absolutely couldn’t go any more. Which, for you, wouldn't be long, even though you’ve been practicing mostly the same routine for the past week and a half.

A week and a half gave Natasha plenty of time to come up with a routine, different sets of exercises for both your body and powers, then put them into motion long enough that extra poundage turned into muscle. And during that time you also got to know most of the group a bit better. You found that your family theory about them was correct, and Steve was, in fact, a perfect Mr Mom. 

“You need to keep your back straight, and move your abdomen when you strike. It applies more force and momentum to the punch.” Widow was instructing you from the sidelines, nitpicking every little detail that was incorrect about how you moved. Her comments were certainly more specific than when your first session ensued. ‘Faster’ or ‘harder’ were good examples, but each time she said it, ever so enthusiastically, you couldn’t help but inwardly snicker. “Don’t lock your knees either, less movement possibilities.”

_ Maybe she’ll let me go if I can land a decent punch... _ At this point, your body was moving on muscle memory, swinging again and again with small changes in between. It wasn’t really as if you hadn’t fought before, but more like you hadn’t ever been in a fight that lasted this long. So it was a bit odd to have to keep the same pace and force for so long without expecting any delay or loss in force. Especially since you weren’t the most fit person in the world, certainly not like the rest of the heroes.

“Few more and I’ll let you go for lunch. Then I want you back here afterwards for weapons training.”

You paused and looked back over towards the redhead, slightly appalled. More work is not what you needed. “Weapons training? Isn’t that a bit much? I thought I was just for stealth or whatever...” Waving your arm around, you flopped down on the ground near your water bottle, sighing as the cool liquid ran down your throat.

“Because of your circumstances, you need to become familiar with as many different varieties of weapons as you can. That way, when you're on the field and you can’t rely on just physical prowess, you have something to lean back on. As of now, you’ll need all the help you can get.”

“Thanks, chick. Real encouragement right there.” You sighed, pouring a bit of the water down onto your heated scalp. Hair was already sticking to your face due to sweat, but the icy liquid was just plain refreshing.

She hummed, a slightly condescending smile on her face. “No problem, maybe once you punch correctly I’ll teach you something more complicated. Then, you can have my enthusiasm.”

“I’ll look forward to it. For now, let's get something to eat.”

  
  


When you both reached the kitchen, those in attendance glanced, but otherwise didn’t pay any mind. Other than Clint of course, because it was obvious he’d wanna see you covered in sweat and grime, smelling like something rotten. What a treat. Not for his nose, because he did make a face when he walked towards the two of you. Poor dude.

“You smell rank, how hard did she work you this time? Wait! No, let me guess. Doesn’t look like you did cardio today, because you're still standing.” You nodded, a small smile on your face as he resumed his investigation. “And you didn’t spar because you’re not banged up or anything...So resistance? Or just practice?”

Shrugging, you pushed past him to the fridge, opening it up to look inside at all its contents. “Eh, I think it was a bit of both. I hit a punching back for a few hours, but after a bit my knuckles went a bit numb.” When you went for one of the cans of soda in the front, Natasha swatted at your hand and closed the fridge.

“You’re on a high protein, low calorie diet for the time being. You may have a protein shake and a salad. Something to replenish your muscles, satiate your appetite and not weigh you down or undo the work you just did.” Eyeing you down, you groaned in defeat, watching as she pulled out a pre-mixed shake and box salad

“Awe, fine. I  _ guess _ I can spare the sugar, but I’m getting a cookie or something for a reward if it’s the last thing I do.”

She nodded, not sparing a glance away from your determined gaze as she handed over the greens and shake. “We’ll see. Only if you can manage to get a bullseye on the first try of training.” It was a bargen, not a difficult one, but one that required prior practice. 

Though it was clear she thought you didn’t have such practice, making your victory  _ just that much _ sweeter. “What kinda’ gun?”

“As long as it isn’t something explosive, you’re in the clear.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal then!”

“Good, now eat.” After a short ‘ _ okay mom _ ’ and a huff, you started on the salad, absentmindedly watching the exchange between the arrowsmith and the widow. They were good friends, to say the least. Probably more than that if you noticed the fond look in their eyes as they talked, it was more of a sibling thing than anything. The inside jokes, laughter, references, even some snarky comments here and there. 

You stand, promptly drawing both their attention as you throw the box and bottle into the trash with a content sigh. “Done. Let me go fix my hair, I’ll meet you back in the training room.” They both nod, stalking off towards the elevator as they pick up where they left off. Meanwhile, you head to the nearest bathroom to relieve yourself and fix your (long since) disheveled hair. 

When you leave the bathroom, a familiar face is now standing in the kitchen, seemingly unaware of your presence.  _ Mr. Metal arm has decided to join the land of the living,  _ you snicker to yourself, slowly creeping towards him. In your haste to not get caught, you phased through the marble island with relative ease, the training paying off in a way that benefited you. When you did reach him, he was near silent, for whatever reason. His breathing slowed, nearly to a halt, and his body was unmoving. Even with how eerie the room was, you took the chance and reached out to simultaneously poke both of his sides. Instead of jumping, yelling, or allowing any indication to leave him that you’d made him jump, he let out a soft breath, looking over his shoulder back to you.

“You’re not exactly the best at being sneaky, y’know that?” 

You shrugged, a cheesy grin plastered across your features(one very reminiscent of your residential arrowsmith). “Hm, never thought about it. But hopefully I get points for trying? Especially on a super soldier, as great as the one before me.” Thankfully, even in all his seriousness, Bucky understood it was a joke and gave a small chuckle before turning back to whatever he was doing.

“Even someone lesser than me could hear your footsteps, you’ll need to work on that if you’re supposed to be working in the stealth department.” He hummed, not bothering to look back at you as you perched yourself against the counter. “Maybe I can give you some pointers one day.”

“Ah, speaking of, I’m supposed to be winning a bet downstairs. All for the sake of sugar.”

“Have fun with that, I’m probably just gonna be in my room for the rest of the day.”

“ _ Or _ ,” you propose, a hint of mischief evident in your tone. “We could have another movie night? It’s been a minute and you need to get out of your room. We don’t have to tell everyone either, I’d just rather it be a few of us. Whaddya' say?”

He grunt, mulling it over before finally looking at you. “Sounds better than what I’ve got going on, I’ll be there, just tell me when.” Bucky was a very compliant person, unless he didn’t want to be, that's another story. Steve made prior jokes about how his hard-headedness matched the durability to that of a brick wall.

“Cool, I’ll come get you around-...Lets say six? I’ll finish up with Clint and Nat, gives me time to shower and eat again before I gotta be there.” You push away from the counter, looking up at the winter soldier with a sloppy grin. 

“Okay then, I guess I’ll see you later.”

“I’ll bring the snacks, you bring the muscles.”

“Yeah, okay.” He chuckled, and it was the last thing you heard from him before you rushed off to the concrete basement of a gym. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was definitely a bit shorter than others, by way too many words than I'd like to admit actually. But this book has been giving me trouble, especially with school in the foreseeable future. I need to come up with a real update schedule rather than '2-3 days'. Only because I know I haven't been sticking to the notion, and I'd like to have a better handle on the posting.
> 
> I'm thinking that I can update every Thursday? And if I'm feeling generous maybe a double upload. Though, for now, I want to keep as much focus on the quality of the chapters rather than the deadline of posting.
> 
> One more thing, I know I'm a dork, and you guys probably came for the Prince of Lies, but I wanted to start a crossover book. BNHA x Soul Eater It'll also be a reader insert with all of your favorite boys and girls from Yuuei, now in a world of human weapons. I wanted to try making a reverse harem type-thingy, with multiple endings. Given, it'll probably take time away from this books development, and be much more lengthy. Thoughts, questions, concerns? Hell, throw your hat in the thring for characters you want an ending for(gender doesn't matter), or even ideas for plot? 
> 
> Thanks for reading, see you next week!


	7. Hush! It's Hamilton

_ Knock, Knock, Knock. _

“I’ve come to fetch you, my liege!” You declare overdramatically, smiling when Bucky walked out with a slightly amused grin. His hair was dripping down onto a white tank top, the droplets glistening in the light.  _ Well doesn’t he look like a wet dream. _ “C’mon, hurry up. Steve and Nat are waiting for us. And I’m almost one hundred percent sure that Clint is going to combust with how impatient he is.” Latching onto the tallers forearm, you pulled him along attempting to make him move faster than his slow, leisurely pace. 

Bucky huffed, shaking his head with a smile. “Y’know you could always  _ ask  _ me to move quicker? And we're not exactly in a rush, we have all night.” Once you were both in the elevator, you finally calmed your own excitement a little, and rolled your eyes at him. He was right, of course, but what was the fun in that? Asking him wasn’t as good as showing your new found strength by pushing him along in front of you, even if it didn’t actually do anything.

“Yeah, but this is the first collective movie night I’ve had where I’m not watching old VHS tapes on a busted TV.”

“How else do you have a movie night?” He raised a brow, to which you jabbed his side with a smile. The taller reciprocated and nudged your shoulder a bit, attempting to suppress his rising chuckle. A feeble attempt. 

You laughed, “Rough childhood buddies~” It was a joke of course, but Bucky only nodded and walked out of the metal doors as they opened, eyeing you over his shoulder as you trailed behind. You knew he wasn’t mad, just stoic. That’d change with you around. After seeing him out on the field with other avengers and how they interacted, you could tell he wasn’t very engaged with his teammates, often choosing to stay silent at interviews and staying in the background.

When you both walked into the cinema room, four faces turned to you. An extra had been added along the way. From almost nothing, Loki had been clued in on your little hang out and decided to join the party on his own accord. He didn’t say anything though, that was good. It would be awkwards if he decided to point out that he showed up to something he wasn’t invited to. That would then beg the question as to  _ why _ he wasn’t invited, and you didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole on movie night. 

“Alright, what to watch?” Stve spoke up first, holding the remote in the air to whoever was willing to take it. And, like the excited child you were, you snatched it with an apologetic smile and quickly put on something you’d seen oh-so-many times. 

“Get ready for a theatrical masterpiece.”

Steve turned around to face you with a broad smile covering his features, you could tell he was already interested in something that involved history and America’s independence. “Alexander Hamilton? Like one of our founding fathers?” You nodded, and he turned back around as he watched the beginning title cards role.

“Did you say theatrical? Like a stage play?” Loki hummed, looking up at you from where he was lounging on a chair. You hummed, nodding and keeping your focus on the screen so you wouldn’t have to make eye contact.

“More like a musical. Hush, it’s starting!” You spent the majority of the first half mumbling the words under your breath and gawking at the actors. It was hard not to burst into song in the middle of the showing, but when your favorite tyrannical king walked up onto stage with all the sass in the world, you could barely contain yourself.

**_“You'll be back, soon you'll see_ **

**_You'll remember you belong to me”_ **

You hummed along happily, nudging Bucky as you sang quietly. This musical wasn’t the only one you knew, but it was definitely your favorite, especially because of Jonathan Groff. He  _ made _ the part, in your opinion at least. 

**_“You'll be back, time will tell_ **

**_You'll remember that I served you well”_ **

In a last minute thought of ‘fuck it’ the volume of your voice picked up and you felt like jumping up and dancing around because of the sheer joy the song bestowed upon you. You surely attracted a few smiling glances as you continued, Loki and Clint being the main two. 

**_“Oceans rise, empires fall_ **

**_We have seen each other through it all”_ **

You knew that Clint wasn’t much of a singer, but you  _ didn’t  _ know that he was a theater kid. Not too dissimilar from you. He also began mumbling the words as Natasha looked at him with a raised brow and a smirk. It was endearing to watch the two jab at each other and attempt to keep a straight face as the arrowsmith sang the part of a king when, as Nat said it, ‘he couldn’t even get out of the dungeon’.

**_“And when push comes to shove_ **

**_I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!”_ **

From your peripherals you could see Loki holding in a chuckle, holding his hand in front of his mouth with a smile peeking out from the corners. His eyes caught your for a moment and you couldn't help but shout the next few lines, just to see him jump at your sudden volume. 

**_“And no, don't change the subject_ **

**_'Cause you're my favorite subject”_ **

You could feel the smugness radiating off of his features, the words hitting his ears and turning into less than appropriate thoughts, specifically the word  _ ‘submissive’.  _ That definitely caught his attention, even if it wasn’t meant in the way he thought it was. When the song did end, you couldn’t help but sing along to every other of your favorite parts in the musical. Even after it was over you insisted on another, and another after that. Only after Steve fell asleep in his chair did you feel drowsy enough to lean against bucky with a yawn. The winter soldier hadn't said anything yet, so you thought it was okay to fall asleep on him as the rest of the movies played on.

  
  


Drowsily, you awoke in your own bed, it was still sometime during the night. It begged the question how you got there, or rather, who brought you there. You’d ask bucky when you awoke the next morning, there was no reason to wake him after he was nice enough to carry you to your room.

_ How embarrassing. _

It took you longer to fall asleep after that, worry edged into you that it wasn’t bucky, or he thought ill of you for falling asleep on his shoulder. After thought among paranoid thoughts played over and over in your head, the sun had begun to rise from behind the tall buildings, meaning you’d have to get up with what little sleep you got. If you were lucky, you could have Natasha go easy on you today, that way you wouldn’t faint from exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bit shorter than normal, but it's been giving me a bit of trouble lately with ideas. On the bright side, I'll be posting the first chapter of my BNHA/Soul Eater crossover series. After pondering ideas and possibilities for the plot I found something I liked with multiple character endings. Go check it out if you're interested!
> 
> Happy reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
